My Spilt Milk

05/29/2026

I regularly post "Condensed Milk," my look back at the last week at My Spilt Milk & look ahead to the week in New Orleans. This week's includes two gigs that sound good for tonight - MATB at Gasa Gasa and Easy Star All-Stars at Chickie Wah Wah. See below for why, as well as my first take on Essence Festival's attempt to start negotiations for a new contract with NO in the post.

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Essence Festival, M.A.T.B., Easy Star All-Stars, Olivia Valentine, James Singleton’s Malabar, Jim Lauderdale

05/28/2026

Earlier this week, NOLA.com reported on Essence's efforts to start negotiations with New Orleans since its contracts with the city and its venues end this year. I've got some thoughts on that, but one thing I think would really help the night concerts is to move next door into the Smoothie King Center. My breakdown is in the comments.

(I used the photo of the P-Funk Mothership because this year George Clinton will celebrate the 50th anniversary of landing it for the first time in the Memorial Auditorium by landing it at Essence. Essence hasn't done much to promote that, but I think it's pretty cool.)

05/25/2026

Since I've had a lot of great Essence experiences, I'd be far more supportive of this request if the current leadership looked like they knew how to run a festival. Last year's mistakes were all JV s**t, and this year's event is scheduled with headliners Cardi B, Brandy & Monica, and George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. I'm not sure any of those can half fill the Superdome.

The daytime events in the convention center are where the action is these days, but because it's not associated with big concerts and famous names, its impact flies under the radar.

Behind the scenes, Essence and the city are working out how to ensure the festival keeps coming back to Crescent City.

05/15/2026

Two years ago, one of my Jazz Fest favorites largely flew under the radar as lowrider soul group Thee Sinseers played an amazing early afternoon set in the Blues Tent. Today they released the first video from their upcoming album "Love Stories," due out Sept. 18. "Did Ya Know" features everything I loved about that show - a beautiful, aching vocal, gorgeous harmonies, and an irresistible melody.

Thee Sinseers - "Did Ya Know?" (Official Music Video)New LP 'Love Stories' out September 18, 2026: https://colemine.lnk.to/clmn12074+++VIDEO CREDITSDirector:...

05/14/2026

It's great to have a day where the biggest anxiety is whether or not the genius of Satoshi's "Viva Moldova" will be recognized by Eurovision. How do people not pop for a song that declares "Moldova is on duty"?

It was the audience favorite after the first semi-final, but none of the handicappers have it sniffing the top 5, much less winning. It's one of the few songs from night one I'd choose to hear again, but I fear they're right. Eurovision is its own type of song, and it tends to reward songs with more drama and (recently) more operatic vocals.

Eurovision is the anti-Jazz Fest, all about style, novelty and imagination inside the confines of pop. It takes over the top over the top, and the final is Saturday on Peacock.

If you watch the final, don't skip the elaborate voting process that takes up the last 45 minutes. It pays off too & is as essential to Eurovision as all the Lady Gaga songs that get light rewrites for countries you can't find on a map. (Though as Americans, really, that's almost all of them).

Subscribe and 🔔 to Eurovision 👉 https://www.youtube.com/user/eurovision?sub_confirmation=1 ​Satoshi from Moldova performed Viva, Moldova! in the First Semi...

05/13/2026

For my friends who love(d) shoegaze, try on this cool new track from Costa Rica's Las Robertas, who have a new album, "All We Need is Now," due out June 26. The title track makes me wish I had a college radio show again so I could play this every week.

“All We Need Is Now" is the second single from Las Robertas' new album ‘All We Need Is Now’, set to be released June 26, 2026 via Kanine Records (US) and Spi...

05/06/2026

This show was excellent when they came to town last year. So much fun on stage and in the crowd.

Find tickets for TsuShiMaMiRe showing at the Gasa Gasa - New Orleans, US Saturday May 23, 8:00PM Tickets starting at $17.20

05/02/2026

Early reports from the Fair Grounds are that it's not as soupy as you'd expect after yesterday's rain, but boots will likely be your friend. It's going to be the rare cool day at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival with a predicted high of 73.

I'll be at the festival today to interview The Skatalites in the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage (4:30), so naturally I think that's one of the highlights of the day. After me, I'm looking forward to Alabama Shakes, Sierra Hull, the Jamaican acts, and a lot of locals that I champion year after year. Details, links & videos in my preview.

The front that brought the last two days of rain will give New Orleans a cool Saturday for Jazz Fest, with T-Pain, Alabama Shakes, and The Eagles headlining.

05/01/2026

Ugh. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival had to shorten the schedule again due to the threat of rain. Here is the revised schedule.

In my picks for today (in the Comments), the only one canceled is Rickie Lee Jones. Check the times since those have likely changed too.

[Note: this is updated, replacing text explaining the changes with the updated schedule.]

05/01/2026

We'll hope for the best for New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival today. The acts I'd keep an eye on in particular are Sarah Quintana, Rickie Lee Jones, Koffee, and Lainey Wilson. Here's why. (Update: I have revised the post to include a graphic with the changes to today's schedule and the new times.)

Country music star Lainey Wilson makes her Jazz Fest debut on Friday at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. It's also a good day for women artists at Jazz Fest, from Jamaica's Koffee to the Bywater's Sarah Quintana.